Dozens of hoverboards destroyed after being seized at Heathrow

Dozens of dangerous hoverboards have been destroyed Surrey county council

Dozens of hoverboards were destroyed after being seized at Heathrow by Trading Standards officials.

Around 90 devices, imported from Hong Kong, have been demolished to stop them from falling into the wrong hands and harming consumers.

Some of the self-balancing scooters burst into flames and had to be doused by a fire extinguisher as they were destroyed.

Trading Standards officers had intercepted the packages containing £7,500 worth of hoverboards before sending them for electrical tests.

The boards were found to have defective battery packs and faults, which could have led to them unexpectedly exploding.

The remains of the devices were crushed and recycled.

Some hoverboards caught fire as the devices were destroyed Surrey county council

Richard Walsh, Surrey county council’s cabinet member for localities and community wellbeing, said: “Our focus is on protecting consumers and the swift actions of our trading standards officers have prevented a large consignment of potentially dangerous products ever going on sale.”

A further haul of 50 hoverboards brought in via Heathrow is also being investigated by Buckinghamshire and Surrey trading standards officers.

The boards were found to have defective battery packs and faults Surrey county council

London Fire Brigade has repeatedly warned that cheap hoverboard models are prone to overheating and exploding, after a spate of fires.